Special bags and buckets have been and are being supplied to fruit pickers to increase their efficiency and comfort and to protect the fruit being picked. They have two over shoulder straps or one over strap and an around waist strap.
Generally the top opening of a bag is kept open by providing a top rod frame opening. The rod frame in some bag containers is continued below. All such rod frame members are padded to avoid the bruising of the fruit. Bag portions extend down from the rod frame portions to form the volume receiving the fruit. Beyond the bag portions, skirt portions are provided, which remain essentially folded up, until the picked fruit is emptied from the bag by the picker, who releases the skirt portions carefully to allow the fruit to slowly leave the bag.
Metal and plastic buckets, with similar fasteners and straps and having fabric skirts are used and preferred, when essentially complete protection of the fruit from bruising is wanted.
Bags and buckets are lined with polyfoam to minimize the bruising and culls of the fruit. Also bags are lined with foam plastic which also serves as an insulation.
During the examination of the fruit picker's supported container illustrated and described in application Ser. No. 07/478,670, the following cited reference patents were considered.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,071 of 1990, Jerry A. Fleming illustrated and described his fruit picker's bag which is well padded However his bag had no firm, rigid, fixed, non-yielding, portions to protect the fruit from bruising caused by front and side forces.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,636 of 1983, Robin D. Lopez disclosed his laundry bag with side zippers, so the laundry bag may be laid out flat to receive laundered items, and thereafter be closed, avoiding their wrinkling.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,130,976 of 1938, Henry D. Stone illustrated and described a harvesting basket having keeper members at the ends of cords holding up a folded bottom of the basket.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,992,849 of 1935, Martin T. Walter disclosed his fruit picker's sack made of flexible material, such as canvas or duck.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,070,489 of 1913, Tsuaeaburo Kuroda illustrated and described his fruit picker's sack made of materials which are not firm nor rigid, and the materials are arranged to provide a laced side seam for size adjustments.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,005 of 1962, George Byers disclosed his easy to clean fish bag having side eyelets and laces used initially to form the fish bag, and then subsequently to return the bag materials to an opened planar arrangement for their cleaning.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,137,303 of 1915, C. A. Carpenter illustrated and described his fruit gathering bag which does not have a firm or rigid portion.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,454,779 of 1923, A. Z. Wells and J. M. Wade disclosed their fruit picking bucket, wherein the body thereof is constructed entirely of metal all the way around. A spout-like bottom of flexible material is extendable below the metal body. Padding was used.
In U.S. Pat. No. 986,573 of 1911, T. J. Jackson illustrated and described his fruit bag, which is essentially made of non rigid bag materials.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,233, William and Mary Grilliot disclosed their fire fighter's garment having a removable, but necessary, inner liner serving as a thermal barrier, and a protected zipper.
In French patent 7,538,621 of 1977, Georg Essl illustrated and described his satchel having shoulder straps. It was stiffened internally on the bottom, sides, and back in a backpack like way. The outside of the back was covered with a layer of plastic foam to make the wearing of this backpack more comfortable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,166,707 of 1916, William Monroe disclosed his fruit picking sack made of canvas, and having an interlining made of burlap, or other suitable material, to protect fruit from being bruised, and having leather straps and edges, and also having an adjustable volume by using ropes and cleats.
Even though these previous patents illustrated and described many fine products, there still remained a need for a better fruit picker's supported container.